Flawless?

Music has been shown to be a powerful vehicle to impact a person mentally, emotionally and even physically. Because of this fact, I like to listen to contemporary Christian music nearly exclusively. Listening to it provides a great way to help focus my attention on Jesus and the things of God. It’s equally helpful that the talent pool of today’s artists is superb, with performers such as Steven Curtis Chapman, Casting Crowns, The Newsboys, Hawk Nelson, Chris Tomlin and so many more it would take pages to list them all. These musicians provide us with countless hours of enjoyment, inspiration and a sense of appreciation for the gifts they use in ministry. They try to take the concepts and principles of the Word and put them to music; kinda like modern-day Psalms if you will. In addition, while none of them would have their work proclaimed as Scripture, many of them use the Word itself in their songs.

One of my favorite groups is Mercy Me and, for the reasons listed above, I’m thankful to the Lord for making them available for us to enjoy. I’ve listened to their offerings for quite a few years now, and plan to continue doing so for many years to come! Having stated that, however, I need to point out something that is a little concerning about their recent song Flawless. The song makes the case that God sees us through the eyes of grace, and that He takes no notice of the imperfections we all have. Those thoughts are true, but not in the way that the video portrays.

First of all, in this video there is a blending and equating of physical and spiritual imperfections which supposedly represents the stains and faults of the human condition. While I understand the thought and imagery they’re trying to convey, this is not the way God sees us at all! Physical handicaps, deformities and limitations are nowhere emphasized in the New Testament, because God looks at the human heart (spirit), and not the outward physical condition (1 Sam 16:7). Because of the way God views us (looking at our hearts and motivation, not the external), the images used in the video create some confusion between the way the Word of God claims He sees us and the way some people think God sees us (or how we sometimes see ourselves or others).

Nobody should think that God is so shallow or superficial that He would fault someone for their physical condition. Physical impairments are a direct result of The Fall of Man, and the resulting impact of that Fall have been felt in every generation since Adam. Sin was the cause of physical problems, and the person who has to deal with them doesn’t have any choice in it. So instead of blaming or condemning people for their physical problems, Jesus went out of His way to heal those who were physically afflicted. The mission of Christ was to fix the root of these problems, which is the nature of sin. While some of us don’t have to deal with the physical situations others do, we all have to deal with sin!

The second point I want to make concerns the word flawless itself. When you state something (or in this case, someone) is flawless, it portrays the image of being without blemish, without imperfection and perfect. This is far from what the Word of God teaches concerning us! Thinking that we have been made flawless (that we have no defects and that we are now perfect) sets us up for discouragement when we make our next mistake. It’s easy to see why people question their walk with Christ; if we are flawless and I continue to make mistakes then I must not be walking with God – right? Faith that is based on faulty truth sets us up to question our very salvation!

Thinking like that is akin to swerving into a ditch on the side of the road, because NONE of us are flawless! The Bible repeatedly condemns the human race because of our rebellion, stubbornness and willful rejection of God and His ways (sin). Some will say that things are different once we come to Christ, which is (thank the Lord) is true. However, even though we have a right relationship with God we are not made flawless.

King David had someone killed so he could take the man’s wife for himself. Peter was fearful and played the hypocrite as he feigned strict Jewish religious observance so as not to get in trouble with other Jews. Even the Apostle Paul acknowledged he was still struggling with issues in his life. All of these people walked with God, yet each one of them had obvious flaws.

Lest we swerve into the ditch on the opposite side of the road, we aren’t simply “sinners saved by grace” either. THAT is just as unscriptural as the false self-image of being flawless. The Word of God explicitly proclaims that if we have come to Christ, and submitted ourselves to His Lordship, we are washed and cleansed with the blood of the Lamb and the Word of God. We have been made completely new on the inside – in our hearts – after the image of Christ (2 Cor. 5:17). We are no longer servants, but we are now called sons and daughters (2 Cor. 6:14-18)! We are empowered by God’s Spirit to live the life He calls us to live (John 1:12-13). Our new nature is one that wants to please God and is not centered on fulfilling our selfish desires (Eph. 2:1-6).When you claim to be a sinner saved by grace you imply that any future failings are expected because “that’s just the way I am” and “I can’t help myself.” The truth of God’s Word says otherwise, and the reality of who we are in Christ is a far cry from being a “sinner saved by grace.” We also need to understand the huge difference between the words grace and mercy, because even though we use them interchangeably God does not (but this is another topic for another time).

So then, if we aren’t flawless and we aren’t sinners saved by grace, then what are we? We are faultless. In this, too, the Word of God is quite clear. It may not seem like such a big deal, but flawless and faultless have different meanings just as mercy and grace have different meanings. God uses specific words when conveying His truth, because words actually have meaning. They are not interchangeable, and if you try to do so then you leave yourself open to error and misunderstanding.

We are not perfect, but we have been accounted as righteous! We are not flawless because we still make mistakes; instead God counts us as faultless because of our faith in the Lord Jesus. This distinction is made in numerous passages such as this;

1 John 1:5-10

This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.

We can clearly see the distinction God makes between being flawless and being faultless by breaking it down this way;

• God is Light (He is Truth, as shared in His Word – Psalm 119:105)
• If we practice darkness (untruth), we lie
• If we walk in the light (practice the Word as it has been revealed to us) then the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin (God counts us as righteous, even though we make mistakes)
• If we say that we have no sin (claiming to be flawless), we deceive ourselves
• If we confess our sins (as God reveals His Word to us), He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (He knows we are flawed, but still counts us as faultless because we turn from our sin in repentance, trusting in Christ)
• If we say that we have not sinned (even though God has revealed our flaw to us through His Word), we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us

None of us are perfect. None of us are flawless. We are, however, faultless before God – simply because we believe Him and take Him at His Word. As we follow the leading of the Word (through the power of the Holy Spirit) we are maintained by the power of the blood of Christ, and – PRAISE GOD – we are declared to be faultless by God Himself!